let's make the world a little bit more colourful

:: TheJakartaGlobe – MyJakarta: Batik Fashion Designer ::

If it’s Friday, then chances are there are a lot of people wearing batik, and that’s all right with Nanang Halim. You see, it’s his job to give lovers of the fabric new choices. With his sister at the designer’s table and himself as the marketing guru, Lim, as he is known, is working to revolutionize the business of batik.

He’s even started to dabble in his own designs, which focus on using traditional patterns in tandem with other fabrics. His updated look of highlighting a solid shirt with a sleeve or collar bearing traditional symbols and patterns has taken off, prompting him to plan a fashion show this year to promote his emerging line, which he hopes is a winner.

To be a batik fashion designer, you must love the fabric. Tell me about your relationship with the artful cloth?

As a kid, I often saw my grandparents and parents wear batik to special occasions, such as wedding parties. My grandmother would often tell me that we could only wear certain patterns of batik on specific occasions. For example, Sidomukti batik should be worn for weddings because it is intended as blessing for the wedded couple and their future happiness. Another batik, called Parang, should only be worn by soldiers.

This made me realize that batik is more than just hand-drawn traditional cloth that has a lot of colors and patterns. It has a lot of meaning that can be traced back to its patterns and symbols.